🥇 In a season defined by record-breaking performances and global dominance, USA Track & Field (USATF) has crowned its 2025 Female and Male Athletes of the Year, delivering a significant national recognition to two stars who captivated the athletics world. World Champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden secured the coveted Jackie Joyner-Kersee Award, triumphing over a formidable field that included global superstar Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. On the men’s side, Rai Benjamin edged out fellow champion Noah Lyles for the Jesse Owens Award.
Jefferson-Wooden’s Historic Triple Crown
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden’s victory for the top USATF female honor acknowledges a truly historic 2025 track and field season. Her crowning achievement came at the World Championships in Tokyo, where she accomplished a feat unprecedented for an American woman: a clean sweep of the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay titles at a single global event.
Her individual gold medals in the 100 meters (in a championship record 10.61 seconds) and the 200 meters (21.68 seconds) firmly established her as the world’s premier sprinter. This phenomenal consistency and peak performance across multiple sprint events were the compelling factors that saw her beat out a roster of decorated nominees.
The field of finalists was stacked with gold-medal winners, including:
* Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (400m and 4x400m world champion).
* Valarie Allman (Discus world champion).
* Tara Davis-Woodhall (Long Jump world champion).
* Anna Hall (Heptathlon world champion).
* Katie Moon (Pole Vault world champion).
Notably, the USATF’s choice highlights a difference in perspective from the global body, World Athletics, which named McLaughlin-Levrone as the 2025 World Female Athlete of the Year. Jefferson-Wooden’s USATF honor, decided by a combination of fan and media voting, serves as a powerful validation of her unprecedented sprint triple.
Benjamin Edges Lyles for Top Male Prize
In a similarly tight contest, Rai Benjamin was recognized with the Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year Award following a stellar campaign in the hurdles. Benjamin secured his first individual World Championship title in the demanding 400m hurdles, clocking one of the fastest times of the season (46.52 seconds), just shy of his own American record. He also played a crucial role, anchoring the U.S. men’s 4x400m relay team to a silver medal.
Benjamin’s win came over a distinguished group of male nominees, most notably sprint sensation Noah Lyles. Despite Lyles’s continued dominance in the 200m, where he claimed his fourth consecutive World Championship title, Benjamin’s landmark individual gold and consistency in the 400m hurdles proved compelling enough for the voters.
Other finalists for the men’s award included:
* Noah Lyles (200m and 4x100m world champion).
* Ryan Crouser (Shot Put world champion).
* Cole Hocker (5000m world champion).
The USATF awards mark the culmination of a spectacular 2025 season, celebrating the athletes whose historic achievements and global dominance have cemented the United States’ position at the pinnacle of international athletics.